A glance into the past I grew up with an Iranian national in my quiet inner western Sydney neighbourhood during my early teen years. Ashkan always used to crack sunflower seeds perfectly, like my grandfather did to pumpkin seeds – a skill I was always envious of. Listening to Ash’s conversations with his family, it…

Christmas in Iran (part 1) It was a good thing the taxi driver kept ringing the doorbell that morning. If the driver hadn’t been so persistent about finding his fare, I would have slept through the chirping bells and missed my 6.05am christmas train to Tehran for my first christmas in Iran! Hang on…. hang…

Isfahan Four hundred and something kilometres later, a bloke and his bike rolled into Isfahan – which was smaller then expected. And much, much windier then expected too. Parking anywhere on the side of the road was proving hazardous to the blokes bike known as Trumpet. Secretly, a man hoped the wind wouldn’t be causing…

Tabriz to Tehran The day after returning from Kandovan, a small town built into the snowy mountains of rock north of Tabriz, I slept most of the day away, intending to leave early the following day to ride the 600km from Tabriz to Tehran. However, Nameless the Biker (as we shall refer to him for…

Eastern turkey – Sanlıurfa Cologne after meals. What is up with that? It is seriously the strangest thing after a good kebab, but the turks seem to love it. In eastern Turkey they get so excited by the prospect of giving you some cologne that one thinks they might just squirt the whole bottle over…

How to apply for an Iran Visa on the road Ever wondered how to apply for an Iran Visa on the road? Most people I’ve met on the road so far applied for the Iran Visa in their home country. Some of us don’t have that luxury – especially if you’ve already been on the…

Not riding in Iran One would think spending a full week in a country that you’d actually see more then one city. My plans for Iran had really been dashed after having to repair the clutch – I was very disappointed. I had wanted to visit the old cities of Isfahan and Shiraz and go…

Motorcycling into Armenia The road to Armenia was pleasant enough on the eyes. The last 30 kms to the border of Georgia/Armenia wasn’t pleasant on my butt cheeks. Ridiculous amounts of potholes and unfinished roadworks led me to the border crossing. As usual, the Georgians were very pleasant and polite at the border. They were…

Applying for an Uzbekistan transit visa in Istanbul Applying for an Uzbekistan transit visa is fairly straightforward and can be done at the Uzbekistan consulate in Istanbul. You can also apply at this consul for a transit visa and pick it up in another city like I did – for example Tehran. Or if you…